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Daytona Notebook Four-car crash stops Friday's Winston Cup practicePosted: Friday February 15, 2002 7:12 PMDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A four-car, chain-reaction wreck momentarily stopped Friday's only Winston Cup practice, but none of the drivers involved had to go to backup cars. Kyle Petty, Dave Marcis, Brett Bodine and Terry Labonte were trying to avoid the car of Ricky Craven, who slowed suddenly on the track. Petty's Dodge sustained the most damage, but his crew had most of the repairs done by the time the garage closed at 2 p.m. "Everybody checked up and it just compounded," Petty said. "I got into the back of Terry and Marcis got in the back of me and that was all it was." Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the session.
A bevy of BodinesFor the first since 1995, there will be three Bodine brothers in the Daytona 500. Todd will start 22nd, with Brett 27th and Geoffrey 35th. "This really is a feat because it's do darn hard," said Geoffrey, the 1986 Daytona 500 winner. "There are so many things that can go wrong. We all went out to dinner last night and had a little victory celebration just for making the 500 and it's nice." All three have sponsorship issues, too. Kmart, Todd's backer, filed for bankruptcy and has committed to just one race beyond Daytona. Brett doesn't have a full-time sponsor, and Geoffrey hopes to run a limited schedule. "It's one of those things where you know that cloud is there and you know it's going to rain, but we're not going to think about it right now," Todd Bodine said of the money issues. "The struggles the three of us are going through and have gone through, to be in the Super Bowl is pretty important."
More spoiler cuttingFords in the Busch Series got a little aerodynamic help when NASCAR trimmed a quarter-inch off their rear-spoilers. The change occurred the same day NASCAR cut the same amount from the spoilers of Fords and Dodges in the Winston Cup Series. "I think we'll be able to keep up now, but we won't be able to lead the pack or win the race," said Greg Biffle, ninth-fastest in the final practice before Saturday's EAS/GNC Live Well 300. "As long as I follow a Chevrolet or a Pontiac, I'll be all right." Mike McLaughlin was fastest in the final Busch Series practice, turning a lap of 188.877 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving a No. 3 car that he'll race twice this year, was third.
Gordon honoredFour-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon is among 15 athletes to be honored March 5 as a Sports Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport. Gordon will be cited on National Sportsmanship Day for his ethics, sportsmanship and fair play. The IIS is located at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. Gordon, chosen in 1996 as the True Value Man of the Year for his work with the Leukemia Society, is cited by the IIS for establishing with his wife, Brooke, the Jeff Gordon Foundation. The foundation, which started in 1999, is dedicated to aiding charities that support the physical, social and intellectual benefits of children and their families through the United States.
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